Five films you shouldn't miss at Boulder International Film Festival

"God Loves Uganda" will be the topic of discussion for BIFF's inaugural Global Town Hall. (Courtesy photo)

About 60 short and feature-length films will screen at the 10th annual Boulder International Film Festival, which runs Feb 13-16.

Most screenings take place at the Boulder Theater, with satellite venues at Boulder High School, First United Methodist Church and eTown Hall.

Film program tickets are $10 for seniors older than 65 with valid ID and $12 for general admission. VIP Passes are $450, which permit entry into most screenings, panels, parties and other events. Tickets for special events such as opening night, closing night, the Foovie Fundraiser, and the various workshops run between $20 and $95.

Below is a snapshot of the films presented this year. To view the schedule or for a complete list of screenings and events, go to biff1.com.

"Circles"

Serbia | Drama | 112 minutes

Serbia's submission for Best Foreign Language Film to this year's Academy Awards traces the repercussions of a Serbian soldier's act of compassion a dozen years hence. When Marko pulls three fellow soldiers off a Muslim shopkeeper they'd been beating, it has a profound effect on all involved. When the war is over, the soldiers, their families and Marko's family have yet to escape the trappings of his decision to act. "Circles," based on a true story, wades into uncomfortable waters, exploring the consequences of compassionate conviction. Directed by Srdan Golubovic. Screens at 5 p.m. Feb. 15 at First United Methodist Church and again at 7:15 that night at eTown Hall.

"God Loves Uganda"

USA | Documentary | 83 minutes

Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams traces the connections between North American evangelicalism and the onslaught of anti-gay legislation in Uganda, which now goes so far as to suggest the death penalty for homosexuals. Williams' team interviews members of American megachurches and the Ugandan people, filling out the film with hidden-camera footage. The documentary has snatched up several awards on the film festival circuit thus far, and BIFF organizers are bringing Williams to Boulder to introduce his film and host a Global Town Hall — a live video hookup and discussion about the film and the topic of anti-gay legislation with eTown founder Nick Forster. The conversation can also be followed via Twitter, at #globaltownhall. Screening is at 10 a.m. Feb. 14 at First United Methodist Church. The Global Town Hall begins at 1 p.m. that afternoon at eTown Hall.

"No No: A Dockumentary"

USA | Documentary | 100 minutes

Dock Ellis was the only Major League Baseball pitcher to throw a no-hitter on LSD (that we know of.) Tracing Ellis' rise to stardom in the '70s, Jeff Radice's film highlights the player's daring, in-your-face fashion — from curlers under his cap to enormous bellbottoms, his outspoken beliefs on racial prejudice and the growing drug dependence of Ellis and many of his contemporaries. Radice takes us past all that to the moment Ellis realized he needed help, his brutal candor in speaking to others about his addictions, and the lives he touched before and after that epic game. Screens at 9:30 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Boulder Theater and again at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 15, at eTown Hall. Director Radice and producer Chris Cortez will be present for a Q&A after the film.

"Tim's Vermeer"

USA | Documentary | 80 minutes

Tim Jenison, who works in computer graphics, became obsessed with the photo-like quality of the paintings of Johannes Vermeer and set out on a five-year quest to re-create Vermeer's studio, dissect the mechanics of the paintings, and re-create one himself. Aided by magicians Penn and Teller (Teller directs), Jenison traveled the world, discussing his sometimes-unpopular theory that Vermeer was more engineer than painter, based in part by his assertion that certain changes in light modify colors that can be reproduced mechanically. The film screens as part of BIFF's closing-night celebrations and 10th birthday party, which begin at 6:45 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Boulder Theater.

"The Wind Rises"

Japan | Animation | 126 minutes

If you're a manga fan, you'll be thrilled Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki's "The Wind Rises" is coming to the Boulder International Film Festival. The animated film, recently nominated for Best Animated Feature for this year's Academy Awards, tracks the life of Jiro Horikoshi, who carried his boyhood love of flight into adulthood, eventually designing the Mitsubishi A5M planes used in World War II. Characters are voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Mae Whitman, Elijah Wood, Stanley Tucci, John Krasinski, Jennifer Grey, William H. Macy and Martin Short. Screens at noon Feb. 16 at the Boulder Theater.

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